


Return

by barrybinary



Category: Marvel, Venom (Movie 2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Other, Tags will be added, Very Brief Suicide Ideation, yeah i'm not gonna finish this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-25
Updated: 2018-10-29
Packaged: 2019-08-07 10:30:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16406741
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/barrybinary/pseuds/barrybinary
Summary: 3 days after the explosion, and Eddie couldn't sleep.With every closing of his eyes, he saw the flames, the symbiote (his symbiote—) shooting from him like a parachute, taking the brunt of the explosion as well as slowing his descent into the water. With every silent moment, he heard his final goodbye loud as thunder in his ears.Only a few days with someone else, and he missed them like it'd been years.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> been having trouble writing _anything_ recently, so i'm hoping taking on this endeavor will help since i'm really into venom rn

3 days after the explosion, and Eddie couldn't sleep. 

With every closing of his eyes, he saw the flames, the symbiote ( _ his _ symbiote—) shooting from him like a parachute, taking the brunt of the explosion as well as slowing his descent into the water. With every silent moment, he heard his final goodbye loud as thunder in his ears. 

Only a few days with someone else, and he missed them like it'd been years. 

Venom had been woven between his every cell and braided into every thought and memory. He wondered if Venom left a footprint on his DNA, if you could scan him and see that he was  _ empty. _

Eddie rolled over, opening his eyes and seeing the walls of his room — a drastic change from the flames painting the back of his eyelids before. 

A dull ache reverberated throughout his entire being, an ache he didn’t think a simple Advil would solve.  _ Maybe the whole bottle would help _ , Eddie thought as he slid his clammy hands down his face. 

_ No, it would only fuck up your kidneys,  _ The rational part of his brain supplied, now sounding strangely like the symbiote. Eddie sighed — the day  _ Venom _ was viewed as rational was obviously a fucked up one. 

“Shut up,” Responded Eddie, the back of his head tickling with something that almost felt like amusement. 

Eddie was taken back to the first time he saw Venom outside of his —  _ their —  _ body, the amusement not his own filling his chest and spreading throughout his entire being. 

Sitting up, Eddie put his head in his hands, his eyes closed again as he did what was becoming his daily routine: 

Checking for Venom.

He closed his eyes, mentally prodding everywhere in his head for the symbiote. He’d felt things he weren’t  _ sure _ should be there, but wasn’t at all convinced it was  _ actually _ the symbiote. The mind was a weird thing, and he gathered he was likely imagining whatever he felt. 

His skepticism was somewhat dulled when he felt what he felt all the days before, but  _ more _ . He couldn’t describe the feeling of having someone else in your head, of poking around until something poked back. And that’s what he felt — a poke. A small, small poke.

He'd seen the symbiote burn up before his very eyes, heard him say  **_Goodbye_ ** with a heartbreaking fondness Eddie felt within his bones until he was ripped away from him by the speed of his descent and the flames engulfing him.

It hadn't seemed like the symbiote’s parachute slowed his descent much, but it must have for him to survive a fall that high. Even into water, falling from that elevation would be the same as landing on concrete. 

Or, the symbiote was able to heal him, _ because he was still there. _

Opening the fridge, he saw the rotisserie chicken he bought, along with five others (They were on sale; it was only  _ reasonable _ ). His mouth started watering just looking at it, and he reached in and grabbed it with excitement. 

Even with the aches and pains of the fight and his separation from Venom, he kept feeling better with every day. Eddie knew that was  _ obvious _ , because that’s how healing  _ works _ , but he was afraid for when he’d not feel anything anymore. 

The aches and pains were the only real  _ proof _ of Venom's existence. That, and Anne, but Eddie had a feeling Anne wouldn’t talk about the symbiote that much.

He turned on the TV, ripping a leg off the dead chicken and biting into it. A part of him was tempted to bite right down into the bone, a part Eddie would usually ignore if it didn't feel so…  _ alive _ , separate from his normal intrusive thoughts.

“Venom?” He asked aloud, a small bit of chicken falling out of his mouth. He reached to pick it off his lap with a frown, before a  _ tiny _ tendril of black reached out from his hand and absorbed the meat.

“Holy — Oh my God? Venom? You're not dead?” His eyebrows raised, face in a mixture of surprise and confusion. A small feeling of annoyance bloomed in the back of his head. 

Venom nudged their hand towards the chicken, Eddie watching, mesmerized, as the symbiote crawled out of his hand. It felt different than it used to, whereas before it felt like nothing, now it was as though someone was ripping tape off of him  _ slowly,  _ his body struggling to let the symbiote go — or was it the other way around?

Eddie’s face relaxed as he watched the symbiote eat. He didn’t morph to his face or his teeth showing, the process of eating looking more like absorbing, the chicken disappearing into Venom’s form. “Huh.” 

The symbiote paused, and when he moved to look at Eddie, he was finally able to see the small eyes at the top of his form. 

“Do you not want to form your face, or are you just too weak?” 

**Never… weak,** Venom’s voice chimed in his head, showing Eddie that even though Venom was outside of him, he was still connected to his brain stem at least. He was relieved that the small bit in front of him wasn’t all that was left of him, more of his body inside of Eddie. 

“That sounded pretty weak to me, buddy. Come on, I’ll get the other ones.”

A small growl came out of Venom, still weak, but definitely showing his personality. Eddie laughed, still giddy that his other was back. He moved his other hand to cup Venom in both hands, the plate the chicken was on clean, Venom having eaten everything including the bones. “Surprised the plate is still there,” Eddie mused to himself.

The symbiote disappeared into his flesh once more, not much stronger, but noticeably more present. “Were you hiding from me?” Eddie wondered, turning his head as he spoke before realizing there was nothing to turn to, that the being he spoke to was quite literally in his head. 

**Not able to talk before,** came his soft voice once more. What was normally a booming growl, reverberating throughout his entire body when he heard it, now was merely a whisper. Hearing it would’ve normally brought a frown to his face, if he wasn’t already so excited of having his suspicions of Venom being alive confirmed. 

He wondered if Venom could feel it, could feel his relief. His silent question was answered when he felt a pleasant warmth spread out on his shoulders, followed by an affection that wasn’t his own. 

Given thought, it was definitely strange Eddie was so willing to accept a bonding such as this, so  _ eager  _ for it, but a part of him — that wasn’t Venom — thought… why not? He could give it a shot. 

A part of him thought maybe… he was meant to be this way.

Alone in a group of people: that was how Eddie lived his life. In a crowd, he blended in and disappeared. Something that made him good at investigating leads and avoiding people he knew, but not good for making long term relationships. 

Now, he would never be alone. That isn’t the healthiest way to live, but it was a  _ way,  _ and he wasn’t sure you could put their relationship into any box currently known to mankind. 

Feeding Venom was the first order of business, making sure the symbiote got everything he needed so he didn’t start eating Eddie’s organs, or whatever. 

**I would not do that.**

Eddie jumped, almost dropping the several chickens he carried.  _ So, you can read my mind? _

**You already knew that.**

Eddie shrugged, “I mean, I  _ guess.  _ I wasn’t told outright.”

**I said I know everything about you. How would I know everything if I couldn’t—**

“Okay! Time for eating,” Eddie interrupted while plopping the chickens onto his table haphazardly. He didn’t think Venom would  _ mind _ , since he was the one who influenced him to eat chicken out of the  _ garbage _ . 

**That was only about twenty percent me.**

“For someone who’s been silent for  _ three whole days _ , you are talking an  _ awful  _ lot.” 

**I can be quiet.**

“ _ No—” _ He felt the happiness of a smug symbiote in his head, and quickly followed up with, “Fuck you and eat.” 

A deep, gravelly laughter sounded in his head, followed by silence as tendrils left him and consumed all the chicken in front of him. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> no proofreading we die like men

A week later, and Venom was able to form his face. No matter how much meat they ate, they were still  _ hungry _ . An insistent pulling in his stomach, the feeling that they weren’t getting what they needed. 

They stood in Mrs. Chen’s shop, looking at the limited array of food offered at the small convenience store. Venom’s face floated next to Eddie's in the reflection of the fridge, hidden from Mrs. Chen’s view by a shelf. Turning slightly towards the symbiote next to him, he said softly, “What looks good?” 

In the reflection, he saw Venom turn to one of the shelves next to him. 

“Ven?” He blurted out, looking back to Mrs. Chen nervously before realizing she absolutely would not care at all. “What’re you looking at?” He asked in a lower voice while turning to see what his symbiote was up to. The symbiote appeared to be smelling the shelves of shitty candy. Eddie always grimaced when he saw “Milk Chocolate  _ Flavored _ ” written on most of the products. What were they flavoring? Who knows. 

**Get this.** Venom demanded, grabbing numerous chocolate bars and holding them out in front of Edde. 

“Chocolate,” Eddie deadpanned, his gaze shooting from Venom’s perpetually smiling face and the chocolate bars he carried in his tendrils. 

**Trust me.**

Eddie shrugged, holding out his hands and letting the symbiote drop them. This was better than the average chocolate sold at Mrs. Chen’s; either she got some new stock, or Eddie just never noticed before. 

Plopping down his chocolate on the counter, he felt Venom sink into his back once more, moving from the back of his neck to deep in his chest. Venom’s favorite places seemed to be his chest and neck, leaving Eddie with a sense of warmth in those areas. It was comforting.

Mrs. Chen looked up from her newspaper, raising an eyebrow when she saw what he was about to purchase. “Do you think this will help fill the hole in your life?” 

Eddie couldn’t contain a surprised laugh. “Every time I come in here you insult me, and for that I cherish you.” 

Typing in the prices for the chocolates, Mrs. Chen couldn’t contain her smile. When she was finished, she turned back to him and put it in one of her paper bags. “You actually  _ do _ look better. Not physically, but emotionally. You seem happier.” 

At that, Eddie was surprised. “I— Thank you? I’ve definitely been better… but I guess I’m not terrible.”

He knew he was feeling better now that his symbiote was back, but was it really that obvious?

Mrs. Chen gave a small smile and handed him his receipt along with his bag of candy. “Have a nice night.”

Eddie nodded and waved, thinking too much of the symbiote to give a verbal response. 

Memories flitting in his mind’s eye, the thoughts and pictures going by too quick to truly take form, Eddie knew Venom was sorting through his memories as though he were a living, breathing file cabinet. “What you looking for?” He asked, shoving his hands in his pockets and pulling out his phone. It had a call from Anne, along with a text that read  _ Are you alright? Have you heard anything from Venom? _

There was a part of Eddie, a  _ large _ part, that didn't want to tell her — wanted to keep the symbiote to himself instead of sharing. He shoved his phone back into his pocket, making a mental note to reply later.

**Seeing how you were when we weren’t here.**

Eddie's head cocked to the side, his eyebrows drawn together. “But you've been here the entire time?”

**Couldn't talk. Couldn’t heal. Wasn't** **_here_ ** , his other supplied, bombarding Eddie with emotions and memories not his own. 

Hiding in a warm, but  _ hurting _ human. Longing for something he couldn't reach even though he was inside it. Hunger for something,  _ anything _ alive. Being  _ touched _ that Eddie searched for him when logic stated he shouldn't have survived. The joy of feeling the strength to stretch out and make his presence known. 

And another, deeper, alien feeling to Eddie. A feeling that made his cheeks warm up even though he couldn’t make sense of it. The symbiote ripped the scene from him, a feeling of embarrassment running through them both. Embarrassment for what, Eddie didn’t know, but now he was curious, and Venom surely felt it. 

**Gald to be back. Glad to be** **_us._ **

Eddie shouldn’t have felt butterflies in his stomach because of that, he shouldn’t have allowed a smile to spread out across his face — but he did. And with that, he could feel the warmth of a pleased symbiote under his skin. 

“Yeah, yeah.” He waved his free hand as though he could wave the other away. He reached into his bag before opening one of the chocolates they bought. “Let’s see if I was right to trust your judgment,” Eddie said, taking a bite into the mediocre chocolate.

The effect was near instantaneous, the hunger they constantly felt dulling and a purr escaping his symbiote. The feeling of Venom purring was a pleasant one, his chest softly vibrating and a small, deep sound escaping him. He was glad there weren’t many other’s on the street with him — he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to hide  _ purring _ from the public. 

“Do you naturally purr or…?” Eddie asked around a mouthful of chocolate.

**Mr. Belvedere did this to convey contentment — is it wrong?**

“You searched my memories for my old cat?” He asked, bewildered.

**Only thing I could do when too small to talk.**

“Huh, okay.” Eddie shrugged, wanting to close his eyes and focus on the small vibrations coming from his symbiote. It was strangely reminiscent of a massage, but throughout his entire chest.

**You like it.**

Eddie huffed in amusement. “Don’t do it where other people can hear, though. You got me? Not everyone else can purr.”

**We don’t need to be like anyone else.**

“ _ Yeah, _ we kinda do, buddy.”

Venom did his approximation of a huff, the purring stopping. Eddie tried not to broadcast his disappointment, instead focusing on getting into his apartment and eating more of his chocolate. He could feel slight annoyance from the symbiote, but still a calmness that came from feeding. 

“So, we just gotta eat chocolate all the time now?” Eddie asks while unlocking his door before setting his things down on the kitchen counter. “I’m not sure that’s gonna work, if you want me to be in good enough shape to  _ fight _ , and all that.” 

**Not just chocolate, but it will work for now.**

Eddie hummed, feeling slightly queasy at the thought of what  _ else _ he might have to eat. He remembered Venom’s preference for raw meat, but he wouldn’t be able to eat that unless Venom were the one in control.

**Why?** The symbiote asked, nearly making Eddie choke on his chocolate. 

“Because,” He choked out, “Human bodies aren’t  _ made  _ for that stuff. Remember when you made me eat the chicken from the garbage? Yeah,  _ raw  _ chicken could leave us doing that for  _ days. _ ”

**Didn’t make you do anything.**

Eddie laughed. “Oh, really?”

**Yes.** **_We_ ** **were figuring out our body.**

Before Eddie could argue, the symbiote continued.  **Have to try new things. Every host is different. You’re the strongest.** Eddie let himself feel a little proud.  **That was** **_us_ ** **eating the chicken. Not you. Not me.** **_Us._ **

There was a certain heat to how he said “us,” that simple pronoun making Eddie suck on his lips and wring his hands. 

“Alright,” He said, his voice a little weak, “but I have one more question.” 

Curiosity, not his own, filled his head. “What was that about you… eating my organs and all that? Back in the hospital? Am I still dying?” He felt Venom’s indignation rising up, hurriedly continuing, “It’s a reasonable question! I’m sorry. I want you here but, like, if you’re eating my insides that’s a little bit of a deal-breaker.”

Anger (or what he  _ thought _ was anger; the symbiote’s emotions were alien, and a little hard to decipher) rose higher in Eddie’s head, the feeling strong enough to make Eddie put his head between his hands and close his eyes. He felt his other materialize near him. He didn’t need to see Venom to know, it was like how someone knows where their arm is even when they aren’t looking. Venom was a part of him. 

Currently, a very  _ angry _ part of him. 

**Wouldn’t hurt us. Why do you think we’d hurt us?**

Oh. Wait.

**Waited here. Could have eaten you from the inside to grow stronger.**

Venom wasn’t angry. 

**You don’t believe in us. You don’t think we’re good. You think we’re bad. Ugly.**

Venom was  _ hurt _ . 

The feeling of Venom’s hurt made Eddie’s insides writhe — or was that him? 

Eddie opened his eyes and put his arms down, looking at the face of the alien threaded throughout his very DNA. “I’m human, I have worries. I truly want you in here, alright? Can’t you feel that? You’d know if I was lying.”

Venom was silent, staring at him through his slitted white eyes. Eddie sighed. 

Venom flinched when Eddie’s hands made contact with his face, even though he must have known Eddie was going to touch him. His hands framed the cartoonish face, his thumbs moving in soothing circles over where cheekbones on a human would be. It was the first time Eddie’d touched him outside of fighting, and he could  _ feel _ the symbiote’s surprise. “We’ve been through a lot recently. More than most people ever experience. And one of those things I experienced was being told the alien sharing my body that I tr— well, I didn’t trust you,” He felt a surge of actual anger, and scoffed. “You told me you were gonna destroy the world, shithead. No, I didn’t trust you. But anyways, I didn’t think you’d kill me. Dan telling me that you were killing me  _ hurt. _ ”

Now, he could feel the symbiote’s sadness. Reliving the experience through Eddie’s eyes and perspective. Though they were bonded at the time, it still wasn’t like now, where Eddie  _ and  _ Venom were sharing details about how they felt and what they thought. “So, tell me  _ what  _ Dan was talking about and if I should be worried now.”

The mental equivalent of a sigh went through Eddie’s head, followed by Venom speaking.  **We needed more food. The bonding was new. Wasn’t used to you, even though you are a perfect match.**

Eddie’s eyebrows raised, his thumbs stilling as he looked at the symbiote in front of him. “Wait, so, you  _ were  _ killing me, is what you’re saying?” 

**Was going to get more food. Fix you. Fix you** **_better_ ** **than you’d ever been. Still going to.** Venom’s floating head moved towards him, reminding Eddie of the first time they “spoke,” except without all the fear and adrenaline from being chased through the city.  **Will take care of you, Eddie.**

The way the symbiote said his name always felt… intimate. Before, it’d been threatening, used to put fear in Eddie’s heart. But now, it was a comfort. 

He didn’t want to think about why he may feel like that, but that did remind him…

“I might have another question.” Even with the limited expressions Venom’s face could make, he looked tired after Eddie said that. “Nevermind!” Eddie said, his voice cracking with the forcefully cheerful tone. 

He began to feel Venom prod at his mind, wanting to know what he was going to say now that Eddie’s primary feeling was embarrassment (coupled with  _ shame,  _ but he wasn’t sure the symbiote would understand that). “ _ Don’t!  _ Do that.” The invisible tendrils of Venom’s stilled in his searching. “Okay, I have another thing. If we’re gonna do this… thing. This living in each other thing,” Eddie paused for a second, slightly amused by the ridiculousness of it all, “then we need to set some rules.”

Venom’s eyes narrowed, but Eddie didn’t relent. “I know, we’re  _ us  _ and all that, but I’m human. I still have to have privacy.”

**There is no privacy.**

“Well, you’re wrong about that, because there  _ definitely _ will be if you want there to be any sort of ‘us.’”

Annoyance seeped through their bond.  **What does privacy entail?**

“It means, if I have a thought I decide not to share, you can’t  _ chase it down  _ and force me to share it.” He struggled to come up with any other examples without having to explain masturbation to the alien. “I’d rather you not talked to me in the shower. In fact, just ignore anything I do while I’m in there.” 

**You’re embarrassed by the shower.**

“Oh!” He said, ignoring his other. “And there will be times I don’t want you talking to me in public. Like, when giving interviews and such. Having a second voice in my head  _ would not _ help.” 

**I could be useful.**

“ _ No, _ you couldn’t.”

**Yes, I could.**

“Ven, please, for the love of God, do  _ not  _ try to talk to the people I interview.”

The only answer he got in return was a smile, and a lick along his cheek. 

—— 

Eddie’s thoughts kept him awake again. Venom was being quiet, something else Eddie asked for to help him get rest — but even with the silence, rest eluded him. 

In fact, the silence was  _ lonely. _

“Venom?” 

He felt the symbiote’s presence move to the forefront of his mind, showing he was alert and listening to whatever Eddie had to say. 

“Can you do that… purring thing again? Softly.” 

Immediately, Eddie felt the soft vibrations and heard the sound escape his chest. Not as strong as earlier in the day, but even more calming.

_ Thank you,  _ Eddie thought. His tired body and mind quickly succumbed to sleep, but not before hearing a soft-spoken  _**You’re welcome.** _


End file.
